Throughout my time in my undergrad I felt like I had the opportunity to learn the “Why” aspects of things related to public relations. However, when the opportunity to dive deeper or get creative presented itself, I realized that is where my true passion lied. I wanted to learn more about the “How.”
During my last semester at Kennesaw State, all of my classes were media focused and I loved every second of it. I decided to pursue my Masters in Journalism and New Emerging Media simply because I felt like there was so much more I wanted to learn.
As soon as my first class kicked off, I knew I had made the right decision. The professors were so knowledgeable, helpful, and really wanted me to succeed. I think my favorite part about pursuing a Masters degree was that everyone truly wanted to be there. There is no more of the classic kid who sits in front of you and spends the whole class on his phone, then does not pull his weight in the group project. My cohort was full of talented and driven people. I made some great connections, and enjoyed discussing topics with like minded individuals.
That leads me to talk about something this program was jam packed with… group work. I have never been a fan of group work, as I am very goal oriented and prefer to do things on my own time, but this program showed me the value in it. I learned a lot about how to delegate and be a member of a team to achieve a common goal. I feel that I now have a firm grasp on how to produce quality group work in the work force.
This program allowed me to be creative in so many new ways. I have always loved working with Adobe systems, but as it turns out, I seemed to be limiting my options. I have grown so much with Adobe over the past eleven months and I now feel comfortable with several of the platforms. My new favorite has become Adobe XD. It allows me to create functional prototypes and really lets me be able to transfer the ideas I have floating in my head into a potential reality.
I would say that the most unexpected and valuable tool I learned was coding. Coming in I had no prior knowledge or experience, and after just four short weeks I was able to create multiple website platforms, create and access a server, and (my personal favorite part) make them beautiful. Though my overall goal is to work more in the promotional/social media field, having these skills make me feel empowered as I become a woman entering the media workforce. I did however learn that though I am not a fan of web development, I genuinely do enjoy building apps. In the Rich New Media course, we began working with XCode and SwiftUI. I found it so interesting, that I began to spend what little free time I had watching Youtube videos on the topic in hopes that I would be able to expand my knowledge. Before this program, App development was not something I considered for my career, but now I would certainly consider this field more in the future.
I am so incredibly thankful for the time I spent at UGA. This Masters program taught me so much, I made a multitude of new connections, and it opened so many doors for me career wise. I have accepted a full time position that allows me to not only be creative, but I will be using several of my new skills on the daily. From Adobe to Xcode, I feel empowered entering into the workforce because of this program at UGA.
I think the most valuable thing I have learned is that I love learning. I never want to stop, and to be honest I want to strive to be the smartest in the room. So much so that in a few years, I think I am going to go for my PHD so that I can one day teach others about the topics I have become so passionate about.
I am looking forward to what the future holds. As always,
Go Dawgs
